Were you present when the World Trade Center twin towers collapsed in lower Manhattan in New York City? No matter if you were a local resident walking to your favorite restaurant or a first responder who risked their life attempting to rescue others, the chances that you were exposed to high levels of dangerous asbestos and other toxic substances on that day are undeniable.
Following the terrorist attacks on the towers, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania that day, the first September 11th Victim Compensation Fund was enacted. The 9/11 VCF intended to provide relief to victims and their families involved in the attacks, and ended in 2004. In the years since the VCF’s expiration, thousands of emergency and first aid workers have developed numerous forms of illnesses related to their toxic exposures.
Asbestos exposure is a known cause of asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer that can have a latency period of up to 50 years. So much asbestos was inhaled by those near the towers on and after 9/11 that one first responder, Deborah Reeve, died from mesothelioma just three years after her initial exposure.
It is estimated that over 400 tons of asbestos was present in the twin towers at the time of the collapse, and rained down on lower Manhattan and its residents. Eighty-five percent of first responders suffered from some sort of respiratory ailment within months or weeks of the incident, and even more have begun to feel the fatal effects of that asbestos exposure all those years ago.
On January 2, 2011, President Obama signed into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which reactivated the 9/11 VCF that ended in 2004. If you or anyone you know is aware of any physical harm or illness resulting from exposures after the attacks, an important deadline is approaching for you.
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (Fund) is approaching an important deadline. Anyone who knew or had reason to know of physical harm or illness resulting from the 9/11 attacks before October 3, 2011 is required to register by October 3, 2013.
Registration preserves your right to file a claim in the future (before the Fund ends on October 3, 2016). Registration is not the same as filing a claim and does not commit you to file a claim even if you have registered. If you are uncertain about when your illness began, register by the October 3, 2013 deadline to preserve your right to file a claim.
We encourage you to read more on the 9/11 VCF website, or contact us today to find out more about your legal rights before the October 3, 2013 deadline passes.
